<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Gas prices in Oklahoma and several Midwestern cities have spiked nearly 30 cents last week alone, experts said.Click here: Watch Rob Hughes' 5 p.m. video reportTravel season, an increase in the price of crude oil, and several refinery shutdowns are to blame for the spike. Outages and extended maintenance has curbed refinery output at refineries in Joliet, Ill.; Whiting, Ind.; Tulsa and El Dorado, Kan.\"If you own the refinery that shut down; the prices are higher, but you're not producing any gasoline. So, it's not beneficial to you; it's beneficial to your potential competitor,\" said Jonathan Willner, Ph.D, professor of economics at Oklahoma City University.According to industry experts, the average price of gas nationwide could soon spike to $3.85 a gallon. The Labor Department reports when gas prices spike this much, 60 percent of consumers cut back on discretionary spending.Minnesota is predicted to lead the country, with gas prices already hitting $4.20 a gallon in some areas.Crime footer"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-s-gas-prices-spike-nearly-30-cents/4293407>